Vehicle indoor illumination device

ABSTRACT

A vehicle indoor illumination device includes a housing having an upper opening with an internal space formed therein, a light-emitting unit disposed on the housing to emit light, a diffuser disposed outside the light-emitting unit in a manner as to close the upper opening of the housing to allow the light emitted from the light-emitting unit to diffuse to the outside, a cover part disposed on an outer surface of the diffuser and on which a light pattern is formed through scattering of the light transmitted through the diffuser, and a controller configured to receive an operation signal of a vehicle electronic part to control an operation of the light-emitting unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of priorityto Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0057510 filed on May 10, 2022in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a vehicleindoor illumination device and, more particularly, to a vehicle indoorillumination device installed on a dashboard.

Discussion of the Background

In a dashboard installed in front of a driver's seat and a passenger'sseat in a vehicle, an instrument panel serves to protect a driver and apassenger seated on seats from a vehicle collision, and to displayinformation about a function of a vehicle and a manipulation thereofthrough a screen and buttons assembled in Audio Video Navigation (AVN),etc.

Conventional information communication and manipulation are mostlyperformed by the AVN, and specifications such as the screen size of AVNis important for effective information communication and manipulation.

Currently, vehicle displays assembled in AVN have high manufacturingcosts, causing a manufacturing cost-based problem in low-cost vehiclespecifications to build a convenient environment for occupants through alarge screen.

In particular, in the case of a vehicle with a low manufacturing costwhile carrying a large number of occupants, such as a purpose builtvehicle (PBV), there is an increasing need for an auxiliary means toeffectively communicate information to occupants.

The Background of the present disclosure is disclosed in Korean PatentNo. 10-2308901 (published on Oct. 5, 2021 and entitled “Vehicle ControlMethod, Apparatus, and System Using Dashboard Equipped with TransparentConductive Film”)

SUMMARY

Various embodiments are directed to a vehicle indoor illumination devicecapable of providing a differentiated manipulation environment andenhancing the marketability by integrating a communication lightingfunction into a dashboard.

Various embodiments are directed to a vehicle indoor illumination devicecapable of providing occupants with extended visual information,assisting an AVN infotainment screen.

Various embodiments are directed to a vehicle indoor illumination devicecapable of providing the optimization and manufacturing cost-saving byreplacing a high-priced large-screen display.

Various embodiments are directed to a vehicle indoor illumination devicecapable of coping with the various needs of a future PBV and mobilitymarket by applying various lighting resources, and capable ofpreoccupying the market through module development.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle indoorillumination device includes: a housing having an upper opening with aninternal space formed therein; a light-emitting unit disposed on thehousing to emit light; a diffuser disposed outside the light-emittingunit in a manner as to close the upper opening of the housing to allowthe light emitted from the light-emitting unit to diffuse to theoutside; a cover part disposed on an outer surface of the diffuser andon which a light pattern is formed through scattering of the lighttransmitted through the diffuser; and a controller configured to receivean operation signal of a vehicle electronic part to control an operationof the light-emitting unit.

The light-emitting unit may include a substrate fixed onto the housing;and a plurality of light-emitting elements surface-mounted on thesubstrate.

Each of the light-emitting element may be an RGB LED.

The light-emitting unit and the diffuser may be spaced apart from eachother.

The cover part may be attached to the outer surface of the diffuser.

The cover part may be provided with a pattern portion in which apredetermined pattern is formed.

The internal space may include: a first space portion disposed on oneside in the housing; and a second space portion disposed on the oppositeside of the first space portion of the housing.

The housing may be a dashboard or an instrument panel.

The present disclosure has the effect of improving the marketabilitythrough integration and modularization of components by integrating thecommunication lighting function into the dashboard of a vehicle.

In addition, the present disclosure has the effect of providingdifferentiated operation environment and enhanced marketability byproviding occupants with extended visual information, assisting thedisplay screen mounted on the dashboard of a vehicle.

In addition, the present disclosure has the effect of reducing theweight and manufacturing cost of a vehicle by reducing the number ofhigh-cost components such as large screen displays mounted on thedashboard of a vehicle.

In addition, the present disclosure has the effect of improvingusability by extending a display area for an operation of e.g., anentertainment function, an air conditioning function, or the like beyonda display screen.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a vehicleindoor illumination device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the vehicle indoor illuminationdevice according to the embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the vehicle indoorillumination device according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the vehicle indoorillumination device according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a connection relationship betweena controller and respective components in the vehicle indoorillumination device according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a first operational state ofthe vehicle indoor illumination device according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a second operational stateof the vehicle indoor illumination device according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a third operational state ofthe vehicle indoor illumination device according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a fourth operational stateof the vehicle indoor illumination device according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of a vehicle indoor illuminationdevice will be described below with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. In the description, the thickness of the lines or the size ofthe components illustrated in the drawings may be exaggerated forclarity and convenience of explanation. In addition, the terms to bedescribed later are terms defined in consideration of functions in thepresent disclosure, which may vary according to the user or operator'sintention or practices in the art. Therefore, definitions of these termsshould be made based on the content throughout this specification.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a vehicleindoor illumination device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure; FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the vehicle indoorillumination device according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure; FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating thevehicle indoor illumination device according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating thevehicle indoor illumination device according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure; and FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating aconnection relationship between a controller and respective componentsin the vehicle indoor illumination device according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5 , the vehicle indoor illumination deviceaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include ahousing 100, a light-emitting unit 200, a diffuser 300, a cover part400, and a controller 500.

The housing 100 is provided in the interior of a vehicle, and may be adashboard or an instrument panel installed in front of a driver's seatand a front passenger's seat. The present embodiment describes anexample in which the housing 100 is a dashboard. However, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto, and the housing 100 may be aninstrument panel or other device.

An upper portion of the housing 100 may be formed to be opened so thatthe housing 100 has an upper opening with an internal space 110 definedtherein by a sidewall thereof.

The upper surface of the housing 100 may be formed to be concaveddownward so that the internal space 110 may be formed in the uppersurface of the housing 100. As such, the housing 100 may be formed invarious shapes such that the internal space 110 is provided thereon.

The light-emitting unit 200 is seated in the internal space of thehousing 100. For example, the light-emitting unit 200 may be mounted onan inner surface of the housing 100 by steps formed on the inner surface(see FIG. 4 ). When the light-emitting part 200 is seated in the housing100, the light-emitting unit 200 may divide the internal space 110 intoan upper space part and a lower space part.

Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 4 , the internal space of thehousing 100 defined by the sidewall of the housing 100, i.e., theinternal space 110, is divided into the upper space part and the lowerspace part by the light-emitting unit 200. That is, the light-emittingunit 200 may be disposed in a concave portion of the housing 100.

The light-emitting unit 200 emits light to the outside of the housing100. The light-emitting unit 200 may include a substrate 210 andlight-emitting elements 220.

The substrate 210 is a PCB substrate, which may be fixed to the housing100 so as to be disposed in the internal space 110. The substrate 210may be powered through a connection to a power supply device such as abattery or an alternator mounted on a vehicle.

The light-emitting elements 220 are composed of a plurality of RGB LEDs,and may be surface-mounted on the upper surface of the substrate 210.The light-emitting elements 220 may be implemented as other elementsrather than the LEDs.

The diffuser 300 is formed in a planar shape and is disposed above thelight-emitting unit 200 so as to be spaced apart from the light-emittingunit 200. The diffuser 300 is mounted on the upper side of the internalspace 110 to close the upper portion of the housing 100, that is, theinternal space 110.

The diffuser 300 refracts the light emitted from the light-emitting unit200 to widely diffuse the light passing through the diffuser 300. Thediffuser 300 may be made of a transparent or translucent material suchthat the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 200 is transmitted.As an example, the diffuser 300 may be made of a plastic (ABS) materialsuch as acryl.

For example, the diffuser 300 made of acryl may be coated with apredetermined diffusion solution to form a diffusion coating layer, ormay be corroded so that light passing through the acrylic diffuser isrefracted.

The light emitted from the light-emitting unit 200 passes through thediffuser 300 disposed on an inner surface of the cover part 400 prior topassing through the cover part 400. Accordingly, it is possible toprevent the occurrence of a spot phenomenon in which light is irradiatedstraight forward from respective light-emitting elements 220 and standsout relatively brightly in the form of dots.

The cover part 400 may be provided on an outer surface of the diffuser300 so that the light passing through the diffuser 300 may be scatteredto form a constant light pattern. The cover part 400 may be attached tothe upper surface of the diffuser 300 by an adhesive.

The cover part 400 may be made of a light-transmitting material. Thecover part 400 may be made of a plastic (ABS) material. The cover part400 may have a thickness thinner than that of the diffuser 300 in orderto increase light transmission efficiency.

The cover part 400 may be provided with a pattern portion 410 in which apredetermined pattern is formed. The cover part 400 is fabricatedthrough 3D printing, so that the pattern portion 410 having a specificpattern may be formed on the surface or the inside of the cover part.

The controller 500 is electrically connected to the substrate 210 of thelight-emitting unit 200, and to various vehicle electrical components 10mounted on a vehicle. Although the controller 500 may be disposed insidethe housing 100, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and thecontroller may also be disposed outside the housing 100.

Here, the vehicle electrical components 10 refer to a starting systemfor starting an engine, a cluster comprehensively providing informationnecessary for traveling and driving, an ABS system for securing thedriver's steering safety upon slipping along the road surface, an autoair-conditioning control system which automatically controls thetemperature and humidity of the vehicle interior, a back warning system(BWS) that identifies rear objects and generates an alert duringreversing, a security system that prevents vehicle theft, a beforeservice warning system (BSWS) that detects vehicle status and provides adriver with preventive maintenance information, an IT & GPS system, andan AVN system.

The controller 500 receives operation signals of the vehicle electricalcomponents 10 to control the operation of the light-emitting unit 200.In other words, the controller 500 is electrically connected to thevarious vehicle electrical components 10 mounted on a vehicle to receivethe operation signals of the respective vehicle electrical components10.

Accordingly, when operation signals of respective vehicle electricalcomponents 10 mounted on a vehicle are received by the controller 500,the light-emitting elements 220 are turned on/off, or flickered by thecontroller 500 that controls the light-emitting unit 200, so that aspecific light pattern may be displayed.

The internal space 110 may include a first space part 111 located on thefirst side (left side in FIG. 2 ) with respect to the central portion ofthe upper surface of the housing 100, and a second space part 112located on the second side (right side in FIG. 2 ) opposite to the firstside.

The light-emitting unit 200, the diffuser 300, and the cover part 400may be provided in each of the first space part 111 and the second spacepart 112. The controller 500 may control a light pattern to be displayedin a left-right symmetrical form through the light-emitting unit 200,the diffuser 300, and the cover part 400 provided in each of the firstspace 111 and the second space 112. Alternatively, the controller mayindividually control the light pattern to be displayed in a left-rightasymmetrical form.

An operating process of the vehicle indoor illumination device havingthe above-described configuration according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure will be described as follows.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a first operational state ofthe vehicle indoor illumination device according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure; FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram illustrating asecond operational state of the vehicle indoor illumination deviceaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 8 is anexemplary diagram illustrating a third operational state of the vehicleindoor illumination device according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure; and FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a fourthoperational state of the vehicle indoor illumination device according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, and 6 , when an operation signal of acorresponding vehicle electrical component 10 generated when a driverunlocks a vehicle door and sits in a vehicle, or starts an engine isreceived by the controller 500, the light-emitting elements 220 areturned on/off, or flicker so that a light pattern representing a welcomesequence operation is displayed on the outside of the housing 100.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, and 7 , when an input signal input by anoccupant manipulating a display screen and buttons of correspondingvehicle electrical components 10 for activating e.g., an air conditioneron a dashboard is received by the controller 500, the light-emittingelements 220 are turned on/off, or flicker so that a light patternrepresenting a climate sequence operation is displayed on the outside ofthe housing 100 during the air conditioning operation.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, and 8 , when an input signal input by anoccupant manipulating a display screen and buttons of correspondingvehicle electrical components 10 for activating e.g., an AVN on thedashboard is received by the controller 500, the light-emitting elements220 are turned on/off, or flicker so that a light pattern representingan entertainment sequence operation linked with music and video playbackis displayed on the outside of the housing 100.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, and 9 , when an external warning signal suchas front, rear, and side collision warnings, an ABS operation of vehicleelectrical components 10 is received by the controller 500, thelight-emitting elements 220 are turned on/off, or flicker so that alight pattern representing a warning sequence operation is displayed onthe outside of the housing 100.

The vehicle indoor illumination device according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure can improve the marketability through integrationand modularization of components by integrating the communicationlighting function into the vehicle's dashboard.

In addition, the vehicle indoor illumination device according to theembodiment of the present disclosure can provide differentiatedoperation environment and enhanced marketability by providing occupantswith extended visual information, assisting the display screen mountedon the dashboard of a vehicle.

In addition, the vehicle indoor illumination device according to theembodiment of the present disclosure can reduce the weight andmanufacturing cost of a vehicle by reducing the number of high-costcomponents such as large screen displays mounted on the vehicle'sdashboard.

In addition, the vehicle indoor illumination device according to theembodiment of the present disclosure can improve usability by extendinga display area for an operation of e.g., an entertainment function, anair conditioning function, or the like beyond a display screen.

Although exemplary embodiments of the disclosure have been disclosed forillustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatvarious modifications, additions and substitutions are possible.Therefore, the true technical scope of the disclosure should be definedby the following claims.

1. A vehicle indoor illumination device, comprising: a housing having anupper opening with an internal space formed therein; a light-emittingunit disposed on the housing to emit light; a diffuser disposed outsidethe light-emitting unit and configured to enclose the upper opening ofthe housing and allow the light emitted from the light-emitting unit todiffuse outside of the housing; a cover part disposed on an outersurface of the diffuser and on which a light pattern is formed throughscattering of the light transmitted through the diffuser; and acontroller configured to receive an operation signal to control anoperation of the light-emitting unit, wherein the housing is a dashboardor an instrument panel.
 2. The vehicle indoor illumination deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting unit comprises: asubstrate within the housing; and a plurality of light-emitting elementssurface-mounted on the substrate.
 3. The vehicle indoor illuminationdevice according to claim 2, wherein each of the light-emitting elementsis an RGB LED.
 4. The vehicle indoor illumination device according toclaim 1, wherein the light-emitting unit and the diffuser are spacedapart from each other.
 5. The vehicle indoor illumination deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the cover part is attached to the outersurface of the diffuser.
 6. The vehicle indoor illumination deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the cover part is provided with a patternportion in which a predetermined pattern is formed.
 7. The vehicleindoor illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the internalspace comprises: a first spatial portion disposed on one side in thehousing; and a second spatial portion disposed on the opposite side ofthe first spatial portion of the housing.
 8. (canceled)